The Legend of Kora

I know a lot of people find these list exhaustive and repetitive but I love them. Most of the year I stick to my personal tastes and recommendations but at the end of the year when all the lists come out I find so much that I missed or hadn’t even considered. Every year I find an album or a comic I hadn’t heard of that completely blows my mind or makes me rethink the possibilities of what is capable in that medium. Stand outs from previous years would be the comic Daytripper or the album Sonic Mass by Amebix.

The other reason I love these lists is it gives people the chance to share all the wonderful things they saw, read or heard that year. There is no end to the awesome stuff that comes out every year and that stuff was made to be seen, heard and read. The idea is that maybe some of these things are new to you and you may find the same enjoyment in them as I did.

With that being said these lists are a collection of my favorites from comics, webcomics, movies and music from 2012. I am not going to take a stance and say these are the best things of 2012 because I don’t believe I have the authority or know how to proclaim that. These are simply lists of things that affected me in some way or the other or I just simply enjoyed the heck out of in 2012.

I didn’t get to see as many smaller and indie genre films as I would have liked to this year. Most of my movie viewing was like everybody else, at the theater and I think most people have seen or heard of all of these so I am not going to post a trailer except for the last one which may have slipped by some folks radar.

5. Avengers

Damn near perfect superhero movie. They managed to make a lot of complex pieces fit nicely into one cohesive story. Sure I had my nerd knit picky complaints but overall and fun ride that balanced the elements of a movie with the elements of comic books in a near perfect cocktail.

4. Cabin in the Woods

I hadn’t had this much fun in a movie theater since I saw Grindhouse so many years ago. A send up and love letter of horror movies that oozed with all the gory delight and standards we horror fans love but turned it on its head with an interesting and humorous take. The two control guys steal the show as well as all the monsters.

3. ParaNorman

Amazing visual storytelling, amazing animation, amazing design amazing all around. ParaNorman reminded me of all the great all ages horror movies I loved as a kid that weren’t afraid to add a little extra bite instead of playing it sage for the kids. Gems like this don’t come around to often.

2. Legend of Korra

I know this was a tv show but it was heads and tails ahead of everything I saw in the theaters this year. I was a bit nervous as to whether or not the Avatar team could strike gold twice but they sure as hell did. Korra (and Avatar) showcases some of the best characters and storytelling captured anywhere in any medium. It should be taught in master classes on story telling (and acting for that matter) and hailed as the triumph that it is. Disguised as a children’s show it is that and all more and makes everything else seem inferior by comparison. I cannot wait for the new season!

1. Indie Game

I watched this documentary two times in a row I was so taken with it. The idea that people want video games to be more than shoot em ups or simple action games and that they can be personal stories amazes me because I have always wondered the same. The designers they focus on are so in devoted to their craft (sometimes to a fault) and so passionate it pours out of the screen. You could easily replace the subject of this documentary with indie comic creators. I think the same struggles apply almost 100% across the board. Amazing movie for anybody who is curious about the creativity and work that goes into a passion project or for creatives looking to see what it takes to actually make it in an industry you love.